After years of knee pain from injuries and osteoarthritis, tennis legend Billie Jean King had double knee replacements in 2010. In this Lifescript exclusive, King talks about the surgery, her life and triumphs on the court...

Tennis champion Billie Jean King has faced many challenges, from Wimbledon matches against rival Margaret Court to her “battle of the sexes” with men's champ Bobby Riggs. But one of her toughest fights has been against osteoarthritis.

Years playing the high-impact sport left the 39-time Grand Slam winner with joint pain, especially in her knees. King had several surgeries to repair the damage in the height of her career.

Yet by 2010, she could barely walk, King tells Lifescript. So she took the plunge and had double knee replacements. The surgeries allowed her to resume active life, and now at age 72, she can play tennis again.

“I think the knees are going to last longer than me,” King says.

In this Lifescript exclusive, King opens up about her knee replacements, the rehabilitation process and her remarkable tennis career.

What made you decide to have double knee replacements?I was getting to the point where I couldn’t even walk to the gym 2-1/2 blocks away. I’d have to take a taxi.

[The knee replacements] changed my life. The physical pain was getting worse – and there’s emotional pain, too, because it wears you out.

I’m so happy I finally made the commitment.

You didn’t have the surgery until 2010. Why did you wait so long?I had heard knee replacements lasted 10, maybe 15 years. And I thought, I have got to keep waiting. I didn’t want to go through the surgery [twice].

If I had known that knee replacements [could last] 30 years, I’d have done it earlier.

Were you prepared for the long rehabilitation process?I’ve had eight knee operations now, so I knew I would have to go through rehab.

My doctor, José A. Rodriguez, M.D., [chief of reconstruction arthroplasty] at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, was honest and told me it would take six months to a year to get back to normal. That was really helpful. [He also told me] there would be a lot of pain, which I knew from my other [knee operations].

I said, “Doctor, thank you for telling me the truth.”

He did a great job on the operation, and rehab was my job. I’ve been through this enough times to know that.

Has rehab changed since the days you were playing tennis competitively?It was so antiquated compared to how they do it now. They didn’t even have rehab for me in those days.

I would ask, “What can I do to get my muscles back?” They couldn’t help me. You should have seen me floundering and trying to figure out my own rehab.

What did your present-day rehab consist of?Mainly, I had to work on range of motion. Scar tissue builds up after the operation, and you have to break it down.

I did leg extensions, where you hold your leg out straight. Mine wouldn’t go down all the way in the beginning, so I had to work on that.

Some people like yoga, some like walking and some running. Do whatever works to get exercise.

Over age 18, the minimum you should do is a half an hour five days a week.

It’s hard to find time, [for example], if you’re a single mother with children. But if you don’t take care of yourself, it’s hard to take care of others. That’s an [important] message for women.

Do you eat healthfully?Portion control is something I’ve struggled with. I’ve always had an eating disorder.

I’ve had a lot of help, and just take one day at a time – just like if you’re an alcoholic. It can bite me in my backside if I’m not careful, because I love to eat and love sugar and carbohydrates.

And as you get older, your metabolic rate drops and you need fewer carbs. It’s been a struggle for me, but I try to eat better now.

What eating disorder do you have?I’m a binge eater. My binges are minor now, compared to the old days. A binge for me today would probably be a pint of ice cream. That’s nothing compared to when I was going through the hard times.

You work on the emotional aspect. That’s really what it’s about.

I’m also on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. That’s actually helped me – I have to live it if I’m going to be on that council. I like responsibility and goals, and always want to keep improving as a person.

Tennis is what saved me in one area.

In what way?I was in a match in the 13-and-under [division] in Santa Monica, [Calif.,] playing against Carole Caldwell [Graebner] in the finals.

I began thinking, If I win, I’m going to have to stand up and say thank you to everybody. I’m scared. I’m going to have to lose this match because I can’t get up in front of people.”

But the other part of me thought, Oh, but I want to be No. 1 in the world, [even if] I have to get up and talk to a lot of people.

I had to struggle through the whole match. Then I thought, OK, I’m going to win. I’m going to find a way [to overcome the fear].

It was a huge turning point in my life, because now I give speeches in front of thousands of people. I always get anxious.

Even before I did this interview, I got psyched up. It’s like playing a match. I want to do my best. I [tell myself], “OK, go face your fears.”

In 1973, you beat Bobby Riggs, a 55-year-old former champion who claimed he could win against any female tennis player. How did that milestone match come about?Bobby followed me around for three years, [asking me to participate in a “Battle of the Sexes” match,] and I kept saying no. Then he asked Chris Evert and other players.

Finally, Margaret Court said, “I’ll play you for that kind of money.” She made $35,000, but she lost to Bobby on Mother’s Day. It was called the Mother’s Day Massacre. When she lost, I knew that I had to play him.

It was about social change, not the tennis match itself. [King won $100,000 in that competition].

Did you like Bobby Riggs?Even though he was a big mouth and chauvinist, I liked him. He was an honest chauvinist.

He had been a former No. 1 player, and I love history. The reason I beat Bobby was because I respected him [enough to take the challenge seriously].

How did it feel to be a part of feminist history?It was huge … people got so emotional about it. That was during the height of the feminist movement, so it was really important [for me to] win.

Every day when I walk out of my New York City apartment, someone asks me about that match. Men are the ones who come up to me now. They were kids when they saw it.

They say, “Billie, it changed my life. I have a daughter now, and I don’t think I’d raise her the same if I hadn’t seen that match.” These are the first generation of men in the women’s movement.

Women come up to me, too. They tell me how it affected them. Some say, “I didn’t have the nerve to ask for a raise – and after that match, the very next day, I went into work and I asked for [one].”

I ask, “More importantly, did you get it?”

Most of the time they say yes.

Women became empowered, and that’s what I wanted. All you can do in one lifetime is go one step forward.

Do you see yourself retiring?I’m not finished at all. I’m as energetic and excited about life as I was as a youngster. I’m one of the lucky ones, [and] know it.

The more I get, the more I want to give; everybody always wins when you give.

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